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Summary of the Documentary Outreach Salon with Robert West

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Posted on April 2, 2002

presented by D-Word and MediaRights.org

Outreach must be sustainable, and strategic. Most grassroots activists will tell you that organizing is successful only over the long haul, change comes slowly. Robert West

In January 2002, Robert West, Executive Director of Working Films (www.workingfilms.org), hosted an online discussion for filmmakers about how they can build successful relationships with nonprofit organizations, find creative ways to fund outreach and use the Web to promote their films to activists and nonprofits. In addition to this summary, you can view what the participants had to say by joining CafÃ© Utne, then logging in from D-word.com.

From left to right: Robert West of Working Films, Julia Pimsleur and Nicole Betancourt of MediaRights.org, at Sundance

Working with Nonprofits

West explained that more nonprofits are using documentary film for fundraising and more filmmakers are looking to pitch their works to nonprofit organizations. Using outreach to promote your film doesn't have to be daunting. However, there are a few things to keep in mind during production: determine whether the piece is intended for use by the organization itself or by those the organization intends to serve. Start early - "Three benefits come from this early start: 1) filmmakers see how the story is playing,' 2) they have experts' onboard early on who can help them think about the outreach, grassroots life of the film - including tying it to existing organizing, and 3), the filmmakers get early buy-in from the very community that can shape and, in some cases, help run an outreach campaign, so they don't have to do it alone. Organizers are much more likely to feel invested' in a project they feel they actually might have helped shape. This is not to say the organizers become the filmmakers. This conversation is focused on organizing, not filmmaking." Moreover, an early start gives you a chance to do fundraising for the outreach as well as the film.

Free tapes are a great outreach tool. Asking recipients to pay for the shipping costs can help defray the expense but remains affordable for many nonprofits. Support materials of discussion guides, Web site links to other "allied" nonprofits and ways to take action around the issue can help your film have more of an impact. Another effective outreach tool is to visit support groups and conventions. This can be quite a weighty cost to filmmakers, but very effective. Visits to support groups and conventions can take place even when the film is a few years old, as long as the issues in the film continue to be relevant.

Distribution Concerns

Distribution through institutional markets that are willing to offer low-priced home video versions are hard to come by, but the credibility and extent of promotion that a distribution company is able to provide is nothing to shake a stick at. Independent distribution on the Web is inviting as long as the filmmaker doesn't become overwhelmed by order fulfillment. One person suggested going with a distributor that offers Institutional, Low-budget non profit/rental, and Individual rates (on request) like Women Make Movies.

How do you know if you are reaching your audience?

By forming an advisory board, you can employ help with discovering fundraising sources, securing letters of interest before the film is finished and "reviews" after it is completed, and get feedback on rough cuts without compromising editorial control. Questionnaires and Web sites can also be sources of valuable feedback.

How can you develop your outreach campaign?

The Independent Producers' Outreach Toolkit

When developing your outreach campaign, you can refer to the "Tell Us About Your Film" form on Working Films' site and to the MediaRights.org online resources, including the new Independent Producers' Outreach Toolkit, a complete guide to planning an outreach campaign, co-presented by AIVF. www.mediarights.org/toolkit.

Also, see the centerforsocialmedia.org, which is developing an archive of outreach project documents. Other mentioned outreach resources included the Independent Television Service (ITVS) and the Community Connections Project: www.itvs.org/outreach/ The National Center for Outreach, committed to community engagement through public television: www.nationaloutreach.org POV: http://www.pbs.org/pov/ And their programs: Television Race Initiative: www.pbs.org/pov/tvraceinitiative And High Impact TV